In power since 2016, President Patrice Talon was running for a second term in the election on Sunday, April 11. CENA talks about a participation rate of 50% against 26.7% for the platform of civil society organizations.
In Benin, outgoing President Patrice Talon (photo) has just won the presidential election with 86.37% of the votes cast. This is indicated by the provisional results of the National Autonomous Electoral Commission (CENA).
Elected in 2016 for a first term, the former king of cotton should lead the country for the next five years. His re-election comes in a tense context that has led to pre-electoral violence, with at least one dead and several injured, according to some sources. His opponents accuse him of having «locked» the presidential election last Sunday by excluding the main heavyweights of an opposition that was finally represented by only two candidates, considered by some observers as «extras».
The autonomous National Electoral Commission through the voice of its president Emmanuel Tiando has just announced the provisional results of the presidential election of Sunday, April 11, 2021.
La Commission électorale nationale autonome à travers la voix de son président Emmanuel Tiando vient de proclamer les résultats provisoires de l’élection présidentielle du dimanche 11 avril 2021. pic.twitter.com/FFChvcfh9y
— ORTB (@ortb_info) April 13, 2021
Elected in 2016 for a first term, the former king of cotton should lead the country for the next five years. His re-election comes in a tense context that has led to pre-electoral violence, with at least one dead and several injured, according to some sources. His opponents accuse him of having «locked» the presidential election last Sunday by excluding the main heavyweights of an opposition that was finally represented by only two candidates, considered by some observers as «extras».
If this re-election surprises few people, it should be noted that the voter turnout was the main issue in the election. According to CENA, it is 50.17%, a much lower rate than that of the 2016 election which was 64% in the first round. However, this rate contrasts sharply with the alarmist forecasts of observers due to pre-electoral tensions and the call for a boycott of opponents of the Front for the Restoration of Democracy (FRD). Moreover, on Monday 12 April, the platform of civil society organizations (CSOs) announced a participation rate of 26.47% and denounced attempts to intimidate voters.
Note that the candidate Alassane Soumanou won 11.29% of the vote while Corentin Kohoue totaled 2%.
Under the new Constitution revised in November 2019, the leader is expected to be sworn in on May 23, as opposed to the previous constitution of 1990, which sets the date for swearing in on April 6. Patrice Talon will be assisted by Mariam Chabi Talata, his running mate, who will become his vice-president, an amendment made by the new Constitution.
However, the results are subject to appeal and must first be validated by the Constitutional Court, before being final.
Source : Agence Ecofin / By Moutiou Adjibi Nourou
